New Bear Zbikowski exactly where he wants to be

Buffalo Grove grad thrilled to come home, excited to play for Trestman

April 15, 2013|By Vaughn McClure, Tribune reporter

Tom Zbikowski's NFL career has taken him from the Ravens to the Colts and now to the Bears. (Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports photo)

Forgive new Bears safety Tom Zbikowski. He was far too young to understand his subtle disloyalty.

The former Buffalo Grove star and Notre Dame All-America defensive back sometimes gets reminded of the handcrafted Christmas ornaments his mother, Susan, constructed when he was a child. The decorations included individual portraits of Zbikowski and his older brother and sister decked out in team apparel.

While Zbikowski's brother, E.J., had the pleasure of donning a Bears Jim McMahon jersey, Zbikowski settled for a Packers pullover.

"There I was, wearing this ugly sweater. It was excessively ugly. I wasn't old enough to realize the blasphemy that was happening." Zbikowski said with a laugh.

After contemplating giving up football during the lockout season to solely focus on his other passion — boxing — Zbikowski couldn't have imagined a better script than playing for the Bears. Besides, the inside of the Bears facility is where his NFL dream started to take shape.

"Until he makes the 53-man squad and runs out onto the field for the first game, I'm tempering my joy," father Ed Zbikowski said. "Yes, it's a good feeling having him come home. But the reality of football is that only 53 men make the team."

As he sat in the Halas Hall auditorium two weeks ago, Zbikowski was captivated by the fervent words of Bears coach Marc Trestman.

"Coach Trestman might have put it the best way I've ever heard it when he talked about respecting the game because your days are numbered," Zbikowski said. "Something just sunk in for me. It's not about money. It's not about the fame. It's about this brotherhood we have in the NFL."

It wasn't the first time Zbikowski listened to a lecture inside a meeting room at Halas.

In 2002, family friend Pete Schivarelli approached then-Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache about Zbikowski's desire to gain weight and work with the Bears strength coaches. Blache and Schivarelli were teammates at Notre Dame in the late 1960s, so Blache made it happen.

As part of the program, Zbikowski said he worked out in the Bears weight room, listened in during meetings and participated in some backpedaling drills before practice.

"Mike Brown was there, (Brian) Urlacher was there," Zbikowski said. "I knew that's where I wanted to be ... A professional football player who was getting ready for minicamp."

"He had the toughness and the tenacity," Blache said. "You could see that he was a guy who was going to put everything he had into it."

Zbikowski put some of the defensive back tricks he picked up from Brown and others to good use at Notre Dame. He was recruited as a cornerback but slid over to safety. He was a third-round draft pick of the Ravens, probably higher than he even imagined.

His first NFL start came in Green Bay, of all places.

"I'm sitting there before the game with my headphones on and Ed (Reed) gives me the thumbs up," Zbikowski recalled. "So I look over to him and respond, 'Yeah, let's go get them today.' And he's like, 'No, take your headphones off. You're starting.' "

On the Packers' second series, Zbikowski picked off Aaron Rodgers.

"My first-ever interception and I've got the best player to ever play the game holding me up (in jubilation)," Zbikowski said of retired linebacker Ray Lewis. "Now that's special."

Zbikowski started 14 games in four seasons with the Ravens but earned more notice on special teams. He followed former Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to Indianapolis for a season before signing with the Bears.

Zbikowski is scheduled to make the veteran minimum of $715,000 in 2013. His former Notre Dame teammate and current Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija isn't exactly hurting for money after signing a five-year, $10 million deal in 2007. He signed another one-year contract worth $2.64 million for this season and seems destined to be rewarded handsomely again if he continues his rapid ascent. They're relative successes have not driven them apart, far from it.

"One thing I did learn was the difference between football and baseball players is baseball has that old money," Zbikowski said. "Even though us football players are looked at as rich athletes, we're lower class compared to baseball players. They have high rises downtown."

Samardzija also is aware of the two occasions Zbikowski considered giving up football for boxing. The last time was during the 2011 NFL lockout.

"With Tommy and football and boxing, you only get so much time to play football with your body and your career, and you can box for a long time," Samardzija said. "I really wanted him to just to see how far he could take the football thing, see how long he could play and what he could accomplish."

Zbikowski still trains for boxing in the offseason and hasn't ruled out a return to the ring. For now, football is the plan.

"I hope I perform well enough that the Bears want to keep me around for a couple more years," Zbikowski said. "I would like to finish my career here."